(CN) Foundation trying to help man's best friend

[Guest guest]

Letter to the Editor - Sunday Morning Post - 4th August 2002

 

My thanks to Gladdie Chu (Sunday Morning Post, July 28) for her compliments

regarding Animals Asia Foundation's China Bear Rescue.

 

Ms Chu's concerns regarding other less fortunate animals in Asia are

justified and the foundation particularly shares her horror regarding the

barbaric treatment of millions of dogs caged and slaughtered for food.

 

For this reason, we have spent several years developing and expanding

programmes which demonstrate the help and companionship that dogs can bring

into our everyday lives. Our popular " Dr Dog " animal therapy Programme now

sees hundreds of dogs visiting patients in hospitals and disabled centres in

Hong Kong, the Mainland, the Philippines, Taiwan, Japan and India. In Korea

(where two million dogs are consumed each year) Simba our " detective dog " is

working with the Korea Customs Service and literally sniffing out illegal

animal parts used in traditional medicine. In Thailand, we support the

successful Phangan Animal Care group which runs a spay, neuter, release

project that is aiding stray dogs and cats and helping reduce the risk of

rabies on the island of Koh Phangan.

 

All of these projects run under our umbrella campaign " Friends ...... or

Food " , which seeks to encourage a greater tolerance and respect for dogs and

other companion animals in Asia. Aided by government departments, and run

predominantly by local employees and volunteers, this project is challenging

the adage that cultural tradition can justify cruel and inhumane treatment.

Practices considered acceptable in the past have disappeared today as many

people work towards a more compassionate society and also recognise that

respect extends outside of how we treat our own species.

 

Across the world, including Asia, dogs are our heroes. Working side by side

with rescue services, law enforcers and detection units, their intelligence

and extraordinary senses are still largely untapped. The latest astonishing

advance now sees dogs' highly-developed olfactory senses being used to

distinguish between the urine of patients who have prostate, breast or

cervical cancer and those who are free of these diseases.

 

Through all of these programmes we look forward to the day when one less

animal will be in the chain of consumption and we can look to all dogs in

Asia as our friends, and not food.

 

Jill Robinson

Founder

Animals Asia Foundation

http://www.animalsasia.org/